2008 Woodie Awards
Incident could paint unflattering portrait of Greeks
The Traveler Editorial Board
Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: Opinion
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The incident of the paint war on the Old Main lawn raises a number of social issues pertaining to Greek life on campus. Gary Crain of the UA Police Department said members of the Tri Delta sorority, the Kappa delta sorority and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity were involved in a paint fight, the results of which could cost thousands of dollars to clean up.
While the paint war is a tradition among members of Greek life, preservation of the Senior Walk, the UA's most well known tradition, should be a top priority for all students. When one tradition damages another, introspection is in order to determine how to prevent such defacement.
Greek life is a good way for some students to develop friendships and campus involvement, both of which are necessary for a successful college career. However, some organizations can lose sight of their missions during their campus conquests. This seems to be the case with the aforementioned incident.
Both sororities, in their mission statements, indicate one of their goals is to promote responsibility.
The mission statement of the Tri Delta sorority is "to promote and develop mutually beneficial relationships between [the chapter] and the colleges and universities...and to assume, with integrity and devotion to moral and democratic standards, the highest responsibilities of college women." A portion of the Kappa Delta mission statement is similar: "preparing our members for community service, active leadership and responsible citizenship."
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was also named as a contributor to the damage done one of the UA's most esteemed traditions, according to , but at least the members can say they did nothing to contradict their fraternity's mission statement. Despite the fact that they did not contradict their mission statement, cannot be held any less responsible for the defacement of UA property and are just as accountable for monetary losses incurred by the UA and the community.
While the paint war is a tradition among members of Greek life, preservation of the Senior Walk, the UA's most well known tradition, should be a top priority for all students. When one tradition damages another, introspection is in order to determine how to prevent such defacement.
Greek life is a good way for some students to develop friendships and campus involvement, both of which are necessary for a successful college career. However, some organizations can lose sight of their missions during their campus conquests. This seems to be the case with the aforementioned incident.
Both sororities, in their mission statements, indicate one of their goals is to promote responsibility.
The mission statement of the Tri Delta sorority is "to promote and develop mutually beneficial relationships between [the chapter] and the colleges and universities...and to assume, with integrity and devotion to moral and democratic standards, the highest responsibilities of college women." A portion of the Kappa Delta mission statement is similar: "preparing our members for community service, active leadership and responsible citizenship."
The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was also named as a contributor to the damage done one of the UA's most esteemed traditions, according to , but at least the members can say they did nothing to contradict their fraternity's mission statement. Despite the fact that they did not contradict their mission statement, cannot be held any less responsible for the defacement of UA property and are just as accountable for monetary losses incurred by the UA and the community.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Fred
posted 10/19/07 @ 7:49 AM CST
Preppy scum!
Mr. Anonymous
posted 10/19/07 @ 12:36 PM CST
"The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was also named as a contributor to the damage done one of the UA's most esteemed traditions, according to ,"
According to what, Traveler editorial board? Someone missed something during copy editing. (Continued…)
Brandon
posted 10/21/07 @ 11:10 PM CST
Why does the editorial board insist on making this out to be a bigger deal than it is? The board almost implies that it was the purpose of these Greek organizations to deface Senior Walk. (Continued…)
David
posted 10/23/07 @ 10:18 PM CST
Give me a break...
Yes, it is very unfortunate that the damage to Senior Walk had to occur, and yes, it could have been prevented.
But spinning this story into an attack on these Greek organizations is ridiculous. (Continued…)
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